God's Plan Unfolding.

Matthew 2:1-23

“This fulfilled what the prophet had said.” – Matthew 2:23 NLT

Four different times in this passage we read of events that were in direct fulfillment of prophetic writings recorded hundreds of years earlier. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not as a result of random chance, but in direct fulfillment of God's divine plan that He had put in place long before the creation of the world. In these 23 verses, we see God's perfect plan unfolding with precision. It is not coincidence that Herod the Great is on the throne, operating as the Roman-appointed king of Israel. He was a tyrant, a ruthless and wicked man who had murdered members of his own family to protect his position as king. Two years after Jesus' birth, Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus are still living in Bethlehem. Wise men from a distant country, arrived in Jerusalem, seeking information regarding the newborn king of the Jews. It seems these men somehow knew that the star that had appeared in the sky was a premonition of something new that was happening. How they linked it to the birth of a new king in Israel, we are not told. But their arrival on the scene in Jerusalem and their questions regarding the birth of the Messiah, deeply concerned King Herod. Unwilling to tolerate a potential threat to his throne, he begins to plot how to discover and eliminate this usurper. Through it all, God is in control. He warns Joseph to take his wife and the child and escape to Egypt. What is amazing is that the funds for this costly trip would have been provided by the gifts of the wise men. The gold, frankincense and myrrh could have easily been liquidated into cash used to pay for their trip and the accommodations they required while living in Egypt. This trip and their time in Egypt were also in direct fulfillment of God's Word. As the children of God had found themselves exiled to the land of Egypt and then rescued by the hand of God, so the Son of God would spend time exiled into this foreign country. But God would bring Him back and restore Him to the land.

Upon hearing that the wise men had refused to return to Jerusalem and give him word regarding the whereabouts of this newborn king, Herod's anger erupted and he unleashed his fury on the innocent children living in Bethlehem. His pogrom of infanticide was also a fulfillment of what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. Herod, acting as an enemy of God, failed in his attempt to eliminate the Messiah. This would not be the last time that the enemy would attempt to thwart the plan of God in order to prevent the Messiah from fulfilling His role as Savior.

At just the right time, God gave word to Joseph that it was safe to return. But rather than return to Bethlehem, God directed Joseph and his family to Nazareth. This would become Jesus' home town for the next 30 years of His life. He would live there in relative obscurity and anonymity until it was time for His earthly ministry to begin. All in fulfillment of God's meticulously detailed plan. All had happened as God had ordained it. No mistakes, no coincidences, no human intervention or unexpected occurrences. It all was unfolding just as God had planned it. Right down to the smallest detail.

Father, it is amazing to think that this story was written long before mankind even existed, before there was a Jewish people or a Roman nation. You came up with this plan before Abraham was chosen or David was anointed king of Israel. And yet I still worry at times that You are not in control or are incapable of seeing my through my current circumstances. Help me rest in Your sovereignty and power. You are in control, at all times, and over all things. Amen.

The Family Tree.

Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38

“This is the record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham.” – Matthew 1:1 NLT

God took on human flesh. But while it might be easy to assume that Jesus could have come as just anybody, as some nondescript, obscure no-name, it was important that He not only come just when He did, but as who He did. Paul tells us, "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law" (Galatians 4:4 NLT). Jesus came at a divinely chosen moment in time. This date was picked from before the earth was created. In God's all-knowing, sovereign wisdom, He had marked this date down and He had picked just the right place, time, and people group into which to send His Son.

These two genealogies give us a glimpse into the details of God's plan. It provides a backdrop of unbelievable specificity that shows us that Jesus didn't just pop onto the scene, like some superhero falling from the sky. His arrival was well-planned and meticulously orchestrated by God over centuries of time. You see, Jesus is the fulfillment of a promise made to a man called Abraham. All the way back in the book of beginnings, Genesis, we have recorded God's promise to Abraham: "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:2-3 NLT). Now, generations later, we read the fulfillment of this promise to Abraham. Matthew records for us that Jesus was a direct descendant of Abraham. He is the means by which "all the families on earth will be blessed." But Luke takes it a step further. His genealogy goes all the way back to Adam. In essence, Luke is reminding us that Jesus is related to all mankind, not just the Jews. He is the Savior of all the world, not just the Hebrew people.

Both of these genealogies, while perhaps boring reads, are significant in their detail. There are names woven throughout that give us a glimpse into God's remarkable plan and how intricately it was worked out over time. They both reveal that Jesus was royalty. He was a direct descendant of David. This was important because it reveals that He was royalty and a legitimate heir to the throne of David, fulfilling a promise God had made to David many, many years before. It would be easy for us to overlook the significance of these genealogies and even refuse to read them. But don't lose sight of the incredible nature of what is being revealed in them. This story is real, not myth. Jesus was a real man, not a made up one. He came into time. He was literally born as a man. And while Joseph was not His biological father, his place in the lineage of David gave Jesus legal rights to the throne of David as the step-father of Jesus. Mary, as the literal mother of Jesus, and as a direct descendant of David, provides Jesus with legitimacy as well. Think of the details behind these names. Think about all that could have gone wrong along the way. Consider the miracle that these two family trees both meet at the same place – at the birth of Jesus. God is indeed amazing. This story is remarkable. And we're just beginning.

Father, You are a God of details. Nothing escapes Your notice. Your plan was perfect and You worked it to perfection. And You still are. So why should we worry, fret, become anxious or let the affairs of this world shake us? You are in control. Thank You for that reminder. Amen.